Apocalypse: Atlanta
by talia571
Summary: Callie Jaspers and her loyal dog, Stella, have been on their own for a while now during the rise of the living dead. She finally meets a group, but in unpleasant circumstances. With Carl Grimes by her side, Callie tries to take on the world of flesh-eaters. The Walking Dead fanfiction. I created Callie and Stella but nobody else. The rest belong to AMCs the Walking Dead & rkman
1. Prologue-Gates

A mixture of anxiety and excitement filled me as I approached this large community called Terminus. I had been on the road for the majority of the apocalypse. I had a group once, but I didn't want to talk about that right now. My only companion was my pitbull, Stella. I got her as a puppy before this all started. She was my family's beloved pet. Speaking of my family, they're gone too. My dad died along with my old group. He and I used to hunt together. I was shooting bows right from the age of seven. That was the only advantage I had in this world. I could shoot. I wouldn't be alive right now if I couldn't shoot arrows. It was what kept me and my dog alive. She had killed the dead before too, but I rarely gave her the opportunity. I didn't know what I would do if she got hurt. This wasn't exactly how a sixteen year old wanted to spend her life.

Stella trotted beside me happily as we got closer to the gates of this supposed sanctuary. There were maps and signs all over the place that said to go to Terminus. I didn't quite trust it, but if there was a sanctuary, I could do with some rest.

"Welcome to Terminus." The man at the gates said. "You look like you've been on the road for a while."

"I have." I responded.

"Wow, a dog." He said with awe. "I haven't seen a dog since the beginning but I'm afraid I can't let her in unless I can confirm she won't misbehave."

"I have a leash." I said quickly, unclipping a tattered old leash that I acted as a second belt unless I needed to use it.

"Very well. I just need to ask you a few questions before you come in." He nodded. "Have you ever killed anybody and if so, why?"

"No." I told him truthfully. I had never had to kill any people.

"Okay." He scribbled something down on his clipboard.

"Has your dog ever killed any people?"

"Absolutely not." I answered as I clipped the leash to her collar.

"Alright. That's all I need to know for now but before I let you in, I need you to lay down your weapons." He commanded. I reached for the long bow that sat on my back with the quiver of arrows. I lay my bow gently on the ground in front of me then sat the quiver on top. Around my waist was my real belt, not a leash. I opened the sheath for my hunting knife and laid it down with my bow and arrows. Finally, I took the smaller knife from the inside of my boot.

"That's it." I said. I felt exposed and unsafe without my weapons.

"Quite an arsenal you have there." He commented. "I'm sorry but I'm going to half to check you for anything else." My heart quickened as I felt extremely vulnerable. He quickly patted down my legs and arms, doing a poor job of frisking. I was relieved though as this was an uncomfortable experience for me. "Okay, Callie. Here is your official welcome to Terminus." He led Stella and I through the gates, my weapons in his hands..

"These weapons are still yours but we're going to put them in the armory for safe keeping. You're more than welcome to take them to practice in the archery range or if you go out but I doubt you'll need to go on a run." The man said as he closed the gate. I nodded hesitantly. I understood his reasoning but I didn't feel safe without them. The man handed another guard my weapons and told him to take them to the armory. The man grabbed a gun and continued walking. I didn't like the fact that he had a gun. "I'll show you where you'll be staying then you can get something to eat after." We walked over to where there were multiple storage containers. "I know they aren't the best, but we don't have a lot of room right now. There are beds in there for you and lanterns for light."

"Um...okay." I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Something about this situation didn't feel right.

"There are others in there to keep you company." The man informed me and he unlocked the container. He opened the door and Stella ran in happily. Suddenly, a foot slammed against my back, shoving me inside. The doors slammed close as I hit the floor.

"What the hell?" I gasped, running up to the container door. "Let me out!" I shrieked.

"That's not going to happen." Someone muttered behind me.


	2. Trust

I spun around to find twelve faces staring at me. They studied Stella and I, confusion evident in their facial expressions.

"What's going on here?" I asked them.

"We haven't been here long ourselves." A man with a thick beard and greased back brown hair spoke.

"Did they tell you this was where the bedrooms are?" I asked, mentally cursing myself for letting that man lead me here.

"No. We noticed they had our people's stuff and they shot at us." A woman replied.

"They told me beds and lanterns were in here. I knew something was up." I shivered, stroking Stella's chin.

"We're gonna get out of here." The man who spoke earlier told me.

"How?" I questioned, looking at the thick walls of the shipping container.

"You got a belt?" A ginger-haired man stepped forward, raising his thick eyebrow at me. I nodded.

"And a leash." I told them.

"Good." The bearded man nodded.

"Why? What should I do with it?" I asked them.

"Hold it like this." He instructed, holding his belt so the buckle was in his fist. Where the buckle looped through a hole stuck out through his fingers. The rest of the belt was wrapped around his knuckles. I took my belt off and copied his position. He raised his fists, as if preparing to fight someone. I did the same.

"When they come in next, that's when we'll strike." He informed me. I nodded quickly. A few of the people were cutting at the wood pillars, trying to break off large splinters as weapons. I was relieved that there were at least people to help me out of this mess I had gotten myself into.

Half of us were resting and half were standing just in case the people came in. I was one of the people resting. I was sat beside a woman who had medium length brown hair. To my right was Stella, who was fast asleep after her excitement of meeting new people. At the start of the apocalypse, she couldn't tell the difference between the dead and the living. Thankfully she learned that the dead are dangerous. The living are too, but at least she knows the difference. It seemed there was less of a difference nowadays.

"So, what's your name?" The woman beside me asked with a western accent.

"Callie." I replied.

"Maggie. This is my husband, Glenn." She pointed to the man beside her who was of asian descent. "What's your dog's name?"

"Stella." I answered. "My dad named her after the beer." Pain struck my heart as I remembered my dad.

"I lost my dad, too." Maggie told me quietly. Though I didn't know this woman, I felt that I could trust her. I'd never talked about my dad since he died and it wasn't a good thing.

"The dead?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Another group." She replied, pain glassing over her eyes.

"I'm sorry." I told her. She smiled sadly at me. Sensing the sadness, Stella crawled over my lap to comfort us.

"Do you know any of these people?" I asked her, motioning to the others that were trapped in the container with us.

"They're with us." She answered. "We got separated for awhile, but found each other again in here. Do you have a group?"

"No." I shook my head. "I used to."

"D'you kill 'em?" The bearded man spoke up, turning towards me.

"No." My eyes widened. "They were going on a boat. The captain said there wasn't enough room for all of us. He kicked two of us and Stella off. We were on our own for awhile. Eventually, he got bit and told me to leave him, but I couldn't. " I took a deep breath, trying to hold in the tears that were threatening to escape.

"Did he turn?" Beard asked. I nodded.

"He came after me hours later." I told them. By now, the entire group was listening.

"Your father." The man guessed. I nodded slowly. Putting down my father was the hardest thing I had ever done. It had happened right near the start of the dead invasion. I had started off with a small group and it didn't take long for the group to turn into just me and Stella. My mother lived in Washington, so I didn't know whether she was alive or not. Sometimes I imagined that she was out there surviving this or that the dead hadn't reached Washington.

I suddenly noticed that the bearded man was discussing something quietly with a thick-muscled guy. Occasionally, one of them would shoot glances at me. _They're talking about me,_ I realized.

"How old are you?" The burly one asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know." I admitted. "Fifteen, I think. Maybe even sixteen." I had lost track of time ages ago. I had no idea what month or even year it was.

"You're fifteen and you've survived all this time on your own?" Beard asked.

"I know how to hunt and sometimes, I use their guts as a shield. They can't tell you're alive when you do that." I explained, trying to convince them that I wasn't a spy or anything.

"How do we know you're not lying to us right now?" A woman with her hair in pigtails spoke up.

"I don't know." I responded, feeling threatened. "I can't really prove anything in here."

"If we find out you're lying-" Beard was cut off by Glenn.

"Rick." Glenn stopped him with a warning tone. "She's just a young girl!"

"Same age as Carl." A dark woman with her hair in dreads spoke up.

"I've seen some weird shit in this new world." The ginger man told us. "Anything can happen."

"I don't have a group. I usually carry three weapons. A bow and two knives. They were taken. My family is dead to my knowledge and I don't have any form of shelter. My name is Callie Jaspers. I was born here in Atlanta. You don't have to trust me, but that's all there is to me." I told them all. "If we get out of here-"

"When." The bearded man who I now knew as Rick, thanks to Glenn, corrected.

" _When_ we get out of here, if you don't trust me at all, you can kill me. You just have to promise to take care of my dog." I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing the courageous words out of my mouth. I didn't want to die, but I was tired of this world.

"Deal." Rick nodded.

"We don't kill the living, remember?" Glenn reminded him.

"The world is different now. Sometimes you have to." The muscular man replied.

"Would you kill Carl?" Glenn raised his eyebrows.

"He's one of us." Muscles responded.

"But you can see he's just a kid." Glenn argued. "What about Michonne? We didn't know her before. Or Maggie or Sasha or Bob." I watched the argument play out in front of me. If I did ever join this group, I would definitely stick by Glenn and Maggie.

As the container grew silent again, I heard a voice beside me.

"We've been through a lot on the road. It's hard to trust." The voice told me. I turned to see a young boy about my age with a bloody cheek.

"I get it. Rick is just looking out for his group." I nodded. I did truly understand where Rick was coming from.

"What if he kills you?" The boy asked.

"I can't stop him if he does. I'll accept it, I think. I'm getting tired of wandering down roads and searching houses for food all the time. That's all my life is. Stella is the only reason I'm still here." I replied, sighing.

"Maybe after all of this, you can join our group." He suggested.

"Maybe." I shrugged.


	3. Smoke

The sound of footsteps along the roof boomed through the shipping container. The boy, Stella and I jumped to our feet as well as the entire group. A crack of light shone through the container and then a small object was dropped.

"Move!" Someone screamed. Smoke exploded from the fallen object, clouding the container. Stella growled beside me. Some voices were raised and frantic, some aggressive. The whole scene ahead of me was confusing and terrifying. Finally, the light died and we were replaced with the minimal amount of light once again.

"Is everyone okay?" Maggie asked. The smoke still hung heavy in the air, shielding our eyes from the view in front of us. "Glenn?" Worry tinted her tone.

"Dad?" The boy beside me called out. Neither Maggie nor the boy got an answer. As the smoke cleared, we all realized why neither got an answer. Rick, Glenn and two others were missing.

"Glenn!" Maggie gasped when she realized her husband had been taken.

"Daryl and Bob are gone, too." A woman with thick, dark hair which was pulled bag into a ponytail commented.

"Rick, Glenn, Daryl and Bob." Another group member sighed.

"What do you think is going to happen to them?" I asked.

"They're going to eat them." Someone answered.

"What?" I gasped.

"Didn't you see that BBQ out there?" The ginger man spoke up. The blood drained from my face. I sank to the floor, the empty floor. My eyes widened and tears filled my eyes when I realized Stella was missing. I had been so focused on the missing people, I hadn't noticed that my dog had been taken.

"Oh my god! They took Stella..." I choked. I was aware that these people had just lost some people from their group and I was complaining about a dog, but that dog was my group. They had their survival group, I had mine.

"They're coming back." The boy spoke up. "My dad, Daryl, Glenn, Bob."

"Carl..." A woman started.

"My dad, he's coming back. They all will. We need to be ready for when he does." The boy, who I had just learned the name of, told us.

"He's right." Ginger agreed, standing up. "Get those belts and get crafting." I nodded, grabbing the belt from my hips. I dug it viciously into the wooden beams, trying to carve out a makeshift knife. I was beginning to regret taking the knife out of my boot. We all worked hard, some watching the ceiling, some watching the door, some crafting weapons out of the wood, some preparing to fight. What seemed like hours had passed and I was finally close to finishing breaking the wooden spike off of the beam. After a few more beatings from my belt buckle, the wooden splinter snapped free. I had never killed a living person before, but if it meant I could get Stella back, today would be the day. I just hoped that the boy, Carl, was right.

Gunshots exploded from the Terminus grounds. We all spun around, belts and splinters in hand. Many of the group members had made shanks, using cloth from their shirts, splinters and their belts. After the rounds of gunshots, an explosion sounded from outside. I could hear material hitting the exterior of the container as it separated from whatever had just blown up.

A long time had passed and we finally heard voices directly outside the container. We were all preparing for battle, clutching our makeshift weapons. Light burst through the door as it was ripped open. I was blinded by the light and the terror of being taken. My eyes finally adjusted and I realized who was at the door.

"Come on!" Rick ordered, running with Glenn and the two others who were apparently called Bob and Daryl though I didn't know which.

"Where's Stella?" I asked, looking around as I stepped out of the storage container. Rick spun around to stare at me.

"We had to run. No time to stop for her." He answered. One of Rick's group members shouted, alerting the rest of the massive herd of dead approaching us.

"Where is she?" I asked again. If they weren't going to get her, I would.

"There's no time!" He shouted.

"I don't care! I'm not leaving without her." I yelled back. The group turned to fight the oncoming swarm while I turned on my heels and sprinted towards the middle of Terminus. I thought back to when I first arrived here. The man who let me in had said something about an armory. I decided to check around there first. I didn't know whether Stella was dead or alive, but I needed to find out.

I burst through the first door I found. There was a candlelit room filled with names on the floor. A woman was crouched on the floor. Before she could see me, I ran to another building. Butchered bodies hung from hooks on the ceiling. Bile coming up my throat, I bolted out of the room and into a different building. There was a long trough filled with blood and several dead bodies. I gasped looking around. Something silver caught my eye, causing tears to escape my eyes. Stella was tied to a post, whining at me. I raced to her side and fought at the ropes with no success. I took the shank out of my sock and sliced at the rope. Finally, it came loose and Stella was free. I kissed the top of her head quickly and attached the leash to her collar. If there were still shooters and dead outside, I didn't want to risk her getting hurt. Stella and I ran to the next building, one that I remember the man from the gates pointing at. Various weapons clung to the walls and counters, telling me that I had found the armory. I searched the room for my knives and bow. As I was searching the ranged weapons, Stella let out a low growl. My head shot up, allowing my eyes to meet the woman's in front of me. She had grey hair and wore a poncho covered in blood. My eyes lowered to the handgun raised in the woman's hands, pointed directly at me. I froze, raising my hands in the air.

"Don't move." The grey-haired woman ordered. I nodded. "Who are you?"

"Callie. I just came from Container A." I admitted. I wasn't completely sure if it had been a shipping container or a train car, but it didn't really matter.

"Who were you with?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Some people, I don't know many of their names. The leader was called Rick." I informed her, not wanting to give away too much about the group.

"And Daryl?" She asked, grabbing a crossbow and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, there was a Daryl." I nodded weakly, worrying about my safety.

"Come with me." She ordered. "Grab a weapon." I searched quickly for my bow and arrows and hunting knife. I took a few more knives and a handgun for luck, sticking them in my boot compartment and pocket. I had a pocket built in my boots made especially for knives. I was now armed with three knives, a gun and a bow. I was lethal. I wasn't trained to use guns. My dad had started to teach me before he died, but we had never gotten far enough.

"Do you know how to use that?" The woman asked, pointing to the handgun.

"Not really." I admitted. She sighed, adjusting the Katana sword and crossbow on her back. On her front, a machine gun hung. She showed me how to reload, turn the safety off and what to press to shoot. I nodded, counting my bullets. I loaded the gun and followed the grey-haired woman out of the armory.

Despite her older age, this woman was intimidating. She knew what she was doing and had a fierce demeanour about her.

We ran forward, sneaking around the buildings. She opened a door which led to the candlelit room that I had been in earlier. The woman was still in the room.

"Drop your weapons and turn around!" Grey ordered, pointing her gun at the Terminus woman. The Terminus woman turned around to face us.

"This was actually a sanctuary once." She started. "But people came and took it."

"Just tell me where-" Grey got interrupted by the woman.

"They raped, killed and laughed at us over weeks but we fought and got Terminus back. We heard the message. You're the butcher, or you're the cattle." The Terminus woman rambled on.

"The men you pulled from the container, where are they?" Grey demanded. Stella growled at the woman, sensing my tension. The woman stared at Stella warily, not answering Grey's question. Grey fired a single shot into the woman's leg, sending her screaming and collapsing to the name-filled floor.

"Where are they?" Grey screamed. The woman clutched her leg. I was staring at the bullet wound with shock when I heard growling from the door we came through. I spun around to see the dead entering through the doorway.

"You could have been one of us." The woman spoke quickly, trying to save her own life.

"And lead people here just to kill them?" Grey growled. "Is that what this place is?"

"No, not at first." The woman protested.

"Come on." Grey ordered me.

"No!" The woman screeched. I led Stella quickly behind Grey just as the dead closed in on the woman on the floor. She screamed as they tore into her, which took their focus off of Grey, Stella and I. We closed the door to the candlelit room once we were out of there. We made our way to the woods, Grey keeping a sharp eye on me just in case I tried anything.

"Why the dog?" Grey asked.

"Family pet. She's been my only companion for awhile." I responded as Grey's gun against my back pushed me further into the forest.

"Has she killed?" Grey questioned.

"Only the dead." I answered.

"What about you?" She asked.

"Only the dead." I repeated.

"Why?" She interrogated.

"Never had the need to." I told her the truth.

"Why were you at Terminus?" Grey continued to interrogate me.

"I was tired of walking around on the road." I answered. "I wanted to rest and maybe even get a group. It gets lonely on the road." I silently cursed myself for telling her the last part. If I wanted a group, I should keep quiet. She didn't say anything else. We continued walking until we heard voices. I tightened my grip around the gun in my hands.

"Carol?" A deep, raspy yet familiar voice gasped. I looked up to see Rick from A. "Did you do that?" He motioned towards Terminus which was engulfed with flames and the walking dead. Grey, or Carol, nodded. Carol and Rick laughed and gave each other a hug. Carol then handed Muscles the crossbow and hugged him tightly. Though the group in front of me all happily reunited, I felt wary. I wasn't sure if they would accept me into their group, send me away or kill me.

"Rick." Carol/Grey spoke. "You have to come with me." I stared at the group, wondering if I was meant to follow or stay. Rick turned to me. He took his belt and wrapped it around my wrists, creating makeshift handcuffs. I nodded at him, letting him know I wouldn't act up. Stella remained attached to the leash on my belt. Rick led me along, following Carol.

"You weren't kidding about the bow, huh?" The dark woman asked.

"No." I responded with a light tone, unsure of how to respond without displeasing a member of the group. I had to choose my words wisely around these people. "You're a Katana person?"

"Not always. I found it during all this." She told me. I nodded, expressing interest in her story. "Is she friendly?" She pointed at Stella.

"To people, yes." I nodded.

"Does she kill walkers?"

"Walkers?" I tilted my head.

"The dead." She responded.

"Oh. Sometimes, but I usually don't let her." I confessed. I wondered silently why the group called the dead 'walkers'.

"Judith!" Rick gasped, freeing me from his grasp. I looked to see a large, dark and bearded man wearing a winter hat holding a baby in his arms. My eyes widened at the sight of the baby. I hadn't seen a baby since before this all started. It brought back painful memories of my two year old sister that was with my mother right now or so I hoped. I had tried to push back the thought of losing Emily but seeing Rick and his son who I believed was called Carl holding the baby in their arms brought the thoughts back. My sister wouldn't be two anymore, she'd be about ready for school had the dead/walkers not come.

"You're okay." The shocked father and son held their family together. Tears were forming in the family's eyes. The baby joined, letting out strangled cries.

"What happened?" Rick asked the man with the hat.

"There were a bunch of walkers out here and he got his hands around Judith's neck." The man explained with a shaky voice. Rick's face fell into fury as he charged towards the house.

"No." The man stopped him with a large palm. "He's dead. I had to...so I did. I could." Carol smiled at him, pride in her face. I watched the scene in front of me with wonder. From what I gathered, the bearded man had either never killed before or he just didn't want to.

After the group caught up with each other, we prepared to move again.

"I don't know if the fire's still burning." Someone spoke up, eyeing the thick, black smoke in the air.

"It is." Carol told the person.

"Yeah, we need to go." Rick nodded.

"What about her?" The woman with dreads that I had spoken to earlier asked, motioning towards me.

"She'll come with us. One wrong move and you'll be on your way." Rick warned. I nodded, fighting a smile of relief. Rick held onto the belt-cuffs around my wrists, leading me with the group. Stella followed along, watching the baby, Judith. Stella had always loved babies.

We all trudged along the forest, moving far away from Terminus and its train cars.


End file.
